


Press The Pedal

by bitsori



Series: Heartbeats Accelerating [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Established Relationship, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Re-examining Relationship(s), night drives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-23 03:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20001631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitsori/pseuds/bitsori
Summary: “Keep driving,” Seungmin calmly tells Changbin.“What do you mean?”Seungmin shrugs.“Do you want to head to mine? Stay over, maybe?” He gets a head shake as an answer, and he lets out a puff of air, exasperated. “Seungmin—”“I just don't want to go home yet,” Seungmin murmurs. “I just—” He sighs, and flashes a tired, weak smile at Changbin. “Just please keep the car running?”--or: Minho and Jisung make an important announcement, and it makes Seungmin & Changbin rethink where they are in their relationship. ( AU )





	Press The Pedal

**Author's Note:**

> [ 1 ] didn’t originally plan on writing a seungbin-centric sequel for ktcr (if anything i was going to write a minsung spinoff lol), but here we are. 
> 
> [ 2 ] i made a playlist that relates to the events surrounding ktcr and this one: [enjoy listening](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5pKVIjyLqINIsDEUgv3a03?si=FCfagA5xQ4C-4Orb2O-fPQ)! Also, fun fact: this fic was written with [lovelytheband’s i like the way](https://open.spotify.com/track/3LjZJVUEJ06TQ8AOO2Mg8m?si=Or3Zl6G8R0W7y12g8q4fdg) on repeat.
> 
> [ 3 ] thank u seungbin two kids room for being so cute and sweet and for validating a lot of my seungbin headcanon. ngl, that also pushed me to write this sequel.
> 
> [ 4 ] all that said, yes. you need to read [keep the car running](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17449319) before starting this one, because i’m not sure how much sense this will make if you don’t. i mean, i think it’s a story on it’s own, but it’s a story that’s much more enjoyable if you know the events that happened beforehand. I wanted to keep a similar format for this, but it basically takes place over a single night so you get timestamps instead of distance covered, haha.

  
— ❦ —  
  
  


A few facts:

One, Changbin is almost  _ always _ late to anything and everything. After a decade's worth of friendship, everyone's pretty much given up on him in this regard. (Tardiness was so associated with him that there was a time when he used to get told an earlier call time than the rest – except he isn't an idiot, and after he eventually figured out that this was what his friends were doing, his internal body clock simply adjusted accordingly.)

Two, Seungmin is a very organized person, and is very much a stickler to timetables – which means that even though the rest of their friends have given up on getting Changbin to ever arrive on time, he’s the only one who still occasionally gets on his case about it. (Granted, they've been dating for two years already – four in total if you count that time in college, before they went on a long break – and everyone just kinda assumes the nagging is a part of some kind of habitual mating ritual between the two.)

Three, Minho and Jisung are not the type to enjoy fancy things. Minho hates dressing up (comfort above everything else, he always says, and Changbin gathers that's easy for him to say, because it's not like he ever has to try too hard with a face like his), and Jisung hates eating anything that costs him a mini fortune  _ (food is great, _ he always parrots, and true enough, he's a pretty adventurous eater – he's willing to try almost anything at least once, and  _ more _ than once, Changbin has seen this habit of his send him running to the nearest toilet; still, on any given day, he'd rather eat in the streets than at a fancy restaurant and Changbin supposes he can't be blamed for that). Minho and Jisung are more the type to stay in, order pizza or whatever other form of takeout – even when they have company over, they might maybe break out some kind of wine and semi-fancy cheese and crackers, but that’s it. So on the rare occasion that they  _ do _ extend a dinner invitation to some fancy three-star restaurant, you are very much obligated to say yes, and to be there on time. It’s not every day those two make any sort of dinner reservations, after all.

Finally: It’s half an hour into Minho and Jisung’s reservation at a high-end, very fancy, Italian-Korean fusion restaurant that just opened downtown, and while Changbin is already seated across the table from Minho and Jisung, Seungmin is nowhere to be found.

  
  
  
  


**PRIVATE CHAT**   
_changbin seo › seungmin kim_

**crepebin [1902H]:**   
hey im here   
only 2 minutes late   
u’d be proud lol

**crepebin [1916H]:**   
u’re on ur way right?

**ksm0922 [1928H]:**   
just got off work   
rushing now   
tell 2 idiots im sry

  
  
  


⎈⎈⎈

  
  
  


**07:29 PM**

“He should be here soon,” Changbin tells his two friends, checking his phone one last time before putting it away in his pocket. 

The three of them are just about halfway done with their appetizers – which the waiter had already stalled in serving – and now that Seungmin is apparently on his way and he can finally relax, Changbin is all set to start teasing Minho and Jisung. Something is obviously going on if they actually want to eat at this expensive place. Usually, he's the only one Seungmin ever really manages to take with him to these fancy restaurants, and that's largely because Changbin regularly wants to keep his boyfriend happy.

“Yeah, so—” He starts, only to be easily interrupted. 

“Yeah, so—” Minho says, with that annoying glint of mischief in his eyes that Changbin is all too familiar with. “Let’s instead talk about the preparations we need to make.”

“Preparations?” Changbin asks, confused.

“Yeah, because the world is clearly ending soon,” Jisung chimes in, sniggering through the cloth napkin he's using to wipe his mouth.

“That's the only possible reason why you actually got here on time and Seungmin didn't, right?” Minho deadpans, and you wouldn't really know that he's just joking from his tone, if not for the way he and Jisung simultaneously break out into laughter.

They've always been like that, always been in tune with their stupid jokes, even back when they were all in university. Frankly, it's as annoying now as it was back then, but lucky for Changbin he's more than used to it by now.

“Right,” he drawls, playing along because this is how one deals with Minho and Jisung whenever they decide to be annoying. “Seungmin's late because he's too busy doing inventory in our end-of-the-world bunker— where neither of you are invited to once the world collapses because you're both so irritating.”

Minho just laughs harder, and Jisung continues to cackle along as if he doesn't want to lose to his boyfriend. At first glance, it's easy to assume that they haven't changed much in the last ten years – Jisung is still loud and stubborn, and always employing juvenile humor, while Minho continues to appear to humor him, even though everyone in their friend group is perfectly aware that he instigates Jisung’s silly antics around ninety percent of the time.

But it’s also the fact that Changbin has known them for a decade, give or take, that he knows perfectly well how much the two of them have grown over the last several years. When Minho had finally gotten his act together and finally made things official with Jisung three years ago – that alone was enough of a clue that tides were changing and that they were finally growing up, especially after all the years they’d spent dancing around their feelings. And if Changbin was proud of them then, the fact that they’ve morphed into a very healthy and functional pair – well, simply put, if someone had told Changbin when he was 21 that Minho and Jisung were going to turn into a couple everyone else would aspire to be like, he would have probably laughed in their faces.

As it is, while he’d never truly admit it, Minho and Jisung have some things now that he wishes he did – that he wishes he and Seungmin had as well. Case in point: the fact that Minho and Jisung are here now, together, able to afford to find the time together to host some kind of fancy restaurant dinner. Changbin’s pretty sure something’s going on, and he has his guesses – most of which are just more reasons to be secretly envious of the way Minho and Jisung have found perfect ways to accommodate each other in their lives.

“Okay, but really—”Jisung pouts. “Where in the world is Seungmin? He’s the one who suggested this place, and—” he lowers his voice into a whisper – which for him, even now that he’s almost pushing 30, really just means adopting a normal indoor voice, “—it’s not exactly cheap here, you know! The least he can do is be on time!”

“His office isn’t that far,” Changbin murmurs. “He should be here by the time our entrées arrive— or well, he should be here before our food gets cold, at least.”

He sighs; work has been hectic for Seungmin recently. Seungmin is now a second year associate at a big-time law firm, and recently his team had been assigned a very important new client, a corporate company in the middle of going through a very expensive merger. It was good news when Seungmin had first told him about it, and they’d celebrated accordingly – interestingly at a place as fancy as this one, and owned by the same restaurateur. Changbin doesn’t know why he didn’t realise that it really just meant even later hours at the office for Seungmin.

“Stop pouting,” Minho tells Jisung, one hand casually –  _ comfortably _ – coming to rest on top of the latter’s. He throws a quick and casual glance across the table at Changbin, and he knows his friend is calming his boyfriend down for  _ his _ sake. He appreciates that about Minho, and he always has. “I’m sure Seungmin’s just busy at work. Big time lawyer, and all.”

Jisung huffs. “Fine, whatever, to hell with Seungmin, then— !”

“Excuse me?” 

Jisung’s eyes grow comically wide at the interruption made by a familiar voice; Minho snorts, and Changbin can’t help but laugh as well. The moment is like something straight out of a sitcom or similar, Seungmin suddenly standing just a few feet away from their table, seemingly having appeared out of thin air.

“— oops,” Jisung whispers loudly. Minho keeps chortling, and Changbin can only flash a pleased smile at his boyfriend. Frustrated as he is about Seungmin being late, he’s still pretty happy to see him finally arrive. 

“To hell with me?” Seungmin barely returns Changbin’s smile, however, and there’s a tired but steely edge to his tone when the words slide off his lips. They’re clearly aimed at Jisung, but Changbin feels a chill crawl down his spine anyway as Seungmin takes the seat next to his.

Jisung is heated, and Seungmin is exhausted (and therefore pissy), which doesn’t mean anything good. This mood easily wipes the smile off Changbin's face.

“I’m sor—” Jisung starts, and for a split second, Changbin is relieved. Jisung is going to apologise, Seungmin is going to calm down, and the rest of the night is going to go smoothly. But the split second is just that – a brief moment; Jisung’s breath hitches, and instead of continuing with his apology, he cuts himself short and his eyes narrow. “Actually, I’m not sorry! You’re late, and you’re the one who always gets so pissy when any of us are even delayed for a few minutes!”

“Exactly,” Seungmin shoots back through gritted teeth. “I’m the one who is always on t—”

“I ordered you the dish you’ve been mentioning you wanted to eat here,” Changbin tries to interject, his arm wrapping around Seungmin’s shoulders in an attempt to calm him down; he isn’t sure it does the trick, but lucky for him, Minho also interrupts the brewing argument with,

“So, by the way— Jisung and I are engaged.”

  
  
  
  


**‹‹**

Two years ago, upon being told that he was about to be stuck in a five-day  _ (three-day, _ Seungmin from that time had initially insisted) road trip with his ex, Changbin’s initial reaction had actually been  _ hope. _ Something in his gut had stirred at the opportunity to be alone with Seungmin because for some reason, even years after their break-up, Seungmin still had a kind of effect on him that he didn't really know how to describe.

But then, it was always kind of like that between them – the first time Changbin had met Seungmin, he was nothing more than Hyunjin's roommate. He didn't care so much if they were friends or not, but he was more than willing to try and at least be  _ friendly _ because Hyunjin was one of his closest friends growing up, and Changbin is nothing if not the type of person who would willingly do anything to make his friends’ lives easier. Except Seungmin didn't just seem uninterested; the entire first semester of his (and Hyunjin's) freshman year, he acted like Changbin was increasingly morphing into the bane of his existence, and the pricklier he got, the more Changbin wanted to turn him around and make Seungmin like him.

Maybe it was some kind of sick compulsion – Minho once told him he was a bit of a masochist for it, but Changbin had shrugged his friend off. What was so wrong about wanting to be liked?

And so, as Seungmin huffed and puffed and made it pretty obvious that the last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a car with Changbin for days, that spark of hope had transformed into pure determination: he was going to make things right with Seungmin, or so help him God.

  
  
  
  


**08:08 PM**

“Engaged?!” Seungmin seems to have lost his own train of thought; in fact he can only gape in shock at the couple seated across the table from them. “Wow.”

Jisung also appears to have lost his appetite for the earlier brewing fight, as he instead grins at them, part proud and part smug. “Yes, we are,” he echoes, waving his left hand as if to show off the elegantly pretty band that adorned his left ring finger. Changbin would wonder how he missed it earlier, except it's pretty easy to miss considering how most of Jisung's fingers are regularly adorned with various bling.

“Are you wearing one, too?” Changbin asks, his eyes falling on Minho, who actually looks a little bashful as he simply places  _ his _ left hand on the surface of the table, showing off a matching ring in the process. “Damn,” Changbin whispers; he’s been friends with Minho for so long, and even though he’s well aware of just how into Jisung he is (and always has been), for some reason he never really pegged him to be the type to settle down  _ officially. _ Still, the announcement doesn't come as a complete surprise either – this dinner is special for a reason, after all. “Congratulations!” He greets, and as foreign as the announcement seems, he's genuinely happy for his two friends. “So— who asked whom?”

Beside him, Seungmin nods as if to echo his question, but he remains mute, obviously still processing the news. 

Minho and Jisung exchange looks like they're confirming the correct answer with each other, and then Jisung breaks out into a huge grin, while Minho starts softly teetering. 

“I guess we kinda asked each other,” Jisung answers finally, shrugging as if it’s no big deal, except the way his eyes glint with pure joy and excitement betray him. “It was funny, actually…”

And then he launches into a monologue about how he and Minho were just eating breakfast one morning, when the thought had simply popped into Jisung’s head (“So I asked him— I said, in between bites of the most delicious waffles because Minho really makes nice waffles you see, edges all crisp, but generally fluffy otherwise— anyway I just said, ‘I think it would be nice to get married, so, wanna get hitched?’ And I think I meant to sound like I was just joking, but the moment the words came out of my mouth I knew I was serious, and I guess Minho just knew, too.”), except it isn't really a monologue because Minho soon chimes in to help tell the story (“I actually got the rings a couple of days before he said that, and for a moment I thought for sure he’d gone through my gym bag, and he'd seen,” and at this, Changbin's eyes widen in surprise, because he, based on everything he knows about Minho and Jisung in all their years of being friends, had assumed that the engagement rings were Jisung's brainchild).

“You got the rings?!” Seungmin's tone tells Changbin that his boyfriend is as taken aback by this information as he is, but the way Minho’s cheeks lightly color in embarrassment make their joint bafflement worth it.

“Whatever,” Minho mumbles; he takes a deep breath, in the way which Changbin knows he tends to do when he's gathering his bearings. “We got our funding at work renewed, so I had a big bonus and I—” He huffs, lifts his chin and sharply meets Changbin’s teasing gaze. “I don’t need to explain myself!” He declares with finality.

Seungmin snorts, and that makes Changbin feel more at ease because it’s clear that he’s at least come down from his earlier aggravation. “Congratulations,” he says, his smile genuine. “I’m happy for the two of you.”

“Thanks!” Jisung happily chirps. “We were thinking—”

Whatever it is that he’s about to say is interrupted as their waiter arrives with their food, and everyone’s attention is easily diverted to the expensive, but delicious and heavenly looking main courses he serves them with.

  
  
  
  


**‹‹**

The first week after they’d gotten back from Hyunjin’s wedding, Changbin had been a nervous wreck. The wedding weekend was great – he was able to spend it with friends he hadn’t seen in months, and he and Seungmin could barely keep their hands off each other. It was almost like they were in their early twenties again, during the beginning of everything when they were just starting to fall in love.

Seungmin was happy and relaxed, and just for those two days that they were in Chicago with their friends, it was as if the last two years of estrangement hadn’t happened at all. But then they’d flown back home to San Francisco, and Changbin wasn’t sure what that meant for the two of them.

“It’s almost been a week,” Minho told him, expression aghast when Changbin relayed to him that he and Seungmin had not really seen each other since having gotten back home. “Just call him up and ask him on a date, geez.”

To be fair, he and Seungmin had remained in regular contact, but it was hard to schedule a physical get together. They were back, nestled once again in the reality of their lives – and real life was busy. Seungmin was not only getting ready for his character and fitness review, but as a starting first year associate, he had a lot of grunt work assigned to him at the firm he had joined. Changbin, on the other hand, had a client pitch to get ready for, and while he was usually better at juggling his responsibilities, his uncertainty about what to do with Seungmin had left his priorities all skewed and jumbled.

“Why is Seungmin telling me that you haven’t seen each other since you got back there?” Hyunjin called him Thursday, around midnight, seven days after his wedding and five days after Changbin and Seungmin had gone back home, sounding pretty anxious over the phone.

“Jesus, Hyunjin, it’s late— and aren’t you supposed to be on your fucking honeymoon, anyway?”

“It’s morning here in Spain,” Hyunjin explained, dismissive; clearly, he had his priorities in order. “Nakko’s showering, and I was messaging Seungmin earlier. What’s going on, Bin?”

“We’ve both been busy, that’s all?” 

Hyunjin scoffed through the line, and Changbin groaned. For a quick second, he even missed the shy, timid Hyunjin from their youth – the one who second guessed all his thoughts, and needed Changbin or Seungmin’s advice about every decision he had to make. Which was unfair of him, of course, because he was proud of the confident, self-sufficient person his best friend had grown to be. He had a stable job that he loved, a beautiful wife, and confidently knew exactly what he wanted and needed to be happy. Changbin shouldn’t undermine that just because they’d suddenly switched places on that self-assured scale.

“Changbin—” And then he sighed in a way that made Changbin’s cheeks flare up in shame. “You and Seungmin looked so happy at the wedding. Call him up and actually go and see him if you don’t want that to get away from you.”

When Hyunjin put it like that, it didn’t really sound like Changbin had any choice. This, he had thought to himself back then, was why Hyunjin was his best friend, despite the distance that separated them. He believed in Changbin like no one else did, believed that Changbin always has the answers ready at the palm of his hand.

And really, that's all Changbin needed anyway – someone to tell him to man up and do what needed to be done. This is how he found himself the next night, standing in the reception area of the building where the offices of the law firm that Seungmin worked for were found at. He knew for a fact that the younger male was working late together with his other first year colleagues because he had mentioned it in passing earlier, when they’d exchanged messages around lunch time. Changbin had actually been angling for a Friday night date when he started a conversation thread with Seungmin earlier that day, but the latter had segued with complaints about having to work overtime that night before he could even say anything.

**ksm0922 [2203H]:**   
w8 y r u in the lobby??

Seungmin’s confused response to his text informing him of Changbin’s presence in the building was followed with a confused dog sticker that only served to make Changbin chuckle softly to himself as he composed a reply.

**crepebin [2204H]:**   
wanted 2 see u

He paused to rethink the simple straightforwardness of his words, and then he shook his head at himself – Hyunjin was right, if he didn’t want to let go of the happiness that he got back recently, then he should do his best not to let it go. And doing his best involved being upfront with everything on his mind – he used to be good at this, way back when, and he figured that was something Seungmin  _ liked _ about him. Being cautious just because he made stupid mistakes wasn’t going to help him at all.

**crepebin [2205H]:**   
i kno u’re busy but i brought food   
i hope its enuf 4 u + peers   
i’ll leave right after   
like i said rly just wanna see u

He sent the messages, one after another, not even waiting for the message seen marker. He was in the middle of nervously contemplating adding a stray smile emoji after minutes passed and Seungmin still hadn’t gotten back to him when— 

“Changbin.”

He looked up from his phone, and there was Seungmin, looking at him with a seemingly calm expression – but that was when Changbin decided that he still really  _ did _ know the other well, because despite the facade that Seungmin was obviously trying to keep on, he noticed the corners of his lips twitching anyway, threatening to curve into a smile. 

“Hey!” Changbin grins; Seungmin’s reaction lent him a certain kind of confidence, and he was able to pull himself up to his full height, facing the other with no trace of fear or apprehension in his expression. “I got pizza— wasn’t sure how many of you were working over time though, so I got two party-sized pans. One vegetarian, one pepperoni—” He had stopped short because he could feel Seungmin's stare boring a hole into him; he met the gaze, and then he had let out a chuckle. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You really came here to feed a bunch of lawyers?”

“Well, as you have generously pointed out before, you're technically not a lawyer yet—”

“Changbin!”

The impatient tone in Seungmin's voice had only made Changbin laugh. “I told you, I just wanted to see you. It’s been too long.”

“It’s been a week,” Seungmin pointed out; he was trying to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal, but he was careful with his tone, as if he was testing to see if Changbin would have the correct response.

“And a week is too long. We  _ do _ live in the same city, you know.” Changbin paused, and looked at Seungmin squarely. “We didn't sign up for a long distance relationship, did we?”

Seungmin’s breath had hitched at the word 'relationship,’ and it was then that Changbin realised they hadn’t really discussed exclusivity. Nervous, his brow crinkled as he waited for Seungmin to correct him, but he didn't. 

“I’m probably going to be busy a lot, just like tonight— just like the past week,” he said instead, in a way that almost sounded like he was giving Changbin the opportunity to bow out of whatever this was that they had just restarted.

Which, if you asked Changbin, was just plain silly.

“We’ll make time,” he told Seungmin simply. “Right now, I’m making time—” He chuckled. “It might just be five minutes, but five minutes is a lot better than none.”

That made Seungmin laugh, and he wasn’t even trying to  _ make _ him laugh, but it sure felt good to draw that reaction. His shoulders relaxed, and he adjusted the way he was balancing two pizza boxes against his hip; he slid his phone back into his pocket and beckoned to Seungmin. “You might maybe want to help me with these,” he pointed out with a chuckle.

“Oh, right, sorry— how much do I owe you?” Seungmin asked, laughing as he ambled over to take the stack of pizza boxes from Changbin.

“Just a kiss,” Changbine immediately answered, to which Seungmin actually  _ blushed. _

“I hate you,” Seungmin muttered.

“No, you don’t.”

The taller male only sighed, but Changbin knew anyway. He really didn’t. 

“I’d invite you upstairs,” Seungmin mumbled, “But it’s after office hours, and I’m new at this job—”

“I wasn’t expecting it, don’t worry,” Changbin assured him. “Now about that kiss—”

Seungmin huffed. “Not here in the lobby!”

“Don’t be a prude,” Changbin teased him, even though he totally knew that retort was coming. He pointed at his cheek instead. “One here would be harmless.”

Seungmin stared at him, and he simply stared back, knowing that this was going to come down to whoever gave in first. And then, quicker than Changbin had expected him to, Seungmin caved with a sigh. He snuck glances around, and once he was satisfied by the fact that the only other people within sight were the night security guard and a janitor busy mopping the floor close to the elevator, he stepped in and planted a brief peck on Changbin’s cheek. 

“Happy now?” Seungmin grumbled.

“Very,” Changbin answered, because he truly was. It was nothing more than an innocent kiss, not even on his lips, but it was nice, and it sparked a quiet bloom in his chest. “Are you free for lunch tomorrow?”

“I should be—?” Seungmin answered, unsure but curious.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up, then— around 11?”

Seungmin laughed. “So I should expect you at around 12?”

“Hey, I’ve matured, and grown— you can expect me around half past.”

Seungmin let out a snort, and Changbin grinned, knowing that he was the cause of Seungmin’s obvious mirth.

“It’s a date, then.”

  
  
  
  


**08:19 PM**

“So yeah, we were thinking of getting married in August—” Jisung explains in between bites of his fettuccine. 

“That’s in  _ five _ months,” Seungmin points out, gawking in disbelief; Changbin can only hold back a snort because he knows just the thought of planning a wedding in such a short time frame is causing his boyfriend stress, even though it’s not even  _ his _ wedding. “Do you have a venue in mind? Most good wedding venues are booked  _ years _ in advance!”

Minho laughs. “Calm down, Seungmin— it’s not like we’re going to throw some big, grand wedding. It’ll be a small party, just family and friends. If anything, we’ll just have the ceremony in our backyard—”

Changbin thinks that a simple and intimate setting like that does seem to be more the couple’s style, especially since their ‘backyard’ is technically an entire beach, so he finds himself nodding along. Jisung makes a humble living working at an art gallery as an appraiser, but a year ago, after some big-deal venture capitalist firm had thrown a mini fortune at Minho’s pet health care app, the two of them had actually managed to afford the downpayment to nice waterfront real estate. Minho and Jisung both like to complain about how they’ll probably be paying for the property until they’re in their 50’s, but Changbin can tell – in reality they’re pretty proud of and happy about their investment.

(He’d been envious then, but Changbin isn’t a naturally jealous person - he doesn’t like looking at what others have and comparing it to his own life, so he’d pushed the traitorous feeling back down and proceeded to be veritably happy for his friends. Now that he thinks about it, this is starting to look more and more like some kind of pattern, and he probably needs to deal with it. Soon. Probably.  _ Maybe.) _

“Wait up, I’m not yet completely on board there!” Jisung shakes his head immediately. “On the one hand, the mortgage for our place is no joke, so it’s pointless throwing away more money when we already have a perfectly serviceable wedding venue. But on the other— I don’t want to have to clean up after guests!”

“Don’t worry, babe,” Minho assures him, laughing and rubbing Jisung’s arm. “We’ll be on our way to our honeymoon by then, and as for the cleanup—” he turns to focus his gaze on Changbin and Seungmin, his lips curling up at the corners in a very annoying grin, “— that’s what our friends are for anyway, right?”

“Excuse you,” Seungmin huffs, his eyes rolling. “What are we, hired help?”

“More like— our Best Men?” Jisung counters, his smile more hopeful and amiable than Minho’s cocky one. “Well, at least Minho was gonna ask Bin to be his Best Man, and we were going to ask if  _ you’d _ be willing to officiate the ceremony.” His eyes are bright, wide, innocently pleading, and Changbin holds back laughter because he knows even Seungmin won’t be able to resist Jisung when he’s like that.

Sure enough, it only takes a few seconds – the time it takes Seungmin to slowly chew the contents of his mouth and swallow – before Seungmin is sighing, and nodding in acquiescence. “Fine,” he says, attempting a haughty tone, as if trying to make it seem like  _ he’s _ doing the engaged couple a favor. But then he chuckles, and shakes his head, unable to keep the facade for too long. “You both already know it’d be an honor, and my pleasure.”

“Great, that’s settled, then!” Jisung pronounces, clearly content. “I’m asking Hyunjin to be my best man because he let me be his.”

“And I’m  _ your _ best man, huh?” Changbin interjects, a smirk curving on his lips as he looks at Minho who is already waving at him dismissively.

“And what an honor it is, right?” Minho tells him, a smug half smirk drawn on his lips. “You’re welcome.”

  
  
  
  
  


**‹‹**

People who saw Seungmin and Changbin together oftentimes had mismatched impressions of them. Seungmin had the face of a self-sacrificing angel, while Changbin— well Changbin had resting bitch face.

Or, rather, as Jisung once tactlessly put it, Changbin had Resting  _ Bored _ Face.

“It’s true, you look dead inside eighty percent of the time,” Minho, of course, had chimed in agreement with Jisung’s unsolicited observation, because even though they weren't dating at the time, they were already too in sync for their own good (and, coincidentally, for Changbin's peace of mind).

So people always assumed that Changbin had lucked out with Seungmin – and he would admit that they were right, but not for reasons people would expect. Dating Seungmin was never an easy thing, much unlike how people tend to assume it would be – but it’s not like Changbin was ever the type to coast on  _ easy. _ He always did enjoy the challenges that life threw his way, and in some ways, Seungmin was one of these challenges.

Despite appearances, Changbin was actually the type to be open with his affection. He liked being liked, and he liked letting people know he liked them. He’s sweet and generous with compliments, and as much as possible he tries to smile so he people can overlook the fact that he seems perpetually uninterested.

Meanwhile, Seungmin was oftentimes petty, impatient and judgmental. He was kind and sweet in his own way, but he doesn't really go out of his way to show off those sides of him either. He had grand expectations from people and life in general, which meant he didn't bother with anyone who fell short of his standards. This meant he was someone who always gave Changbin something to work for, someone who made Changbin feel like he constantly had to woo him. With words, actions, gestures, it didn’t really matter so much as the fact that not everyone had the ability to draw his softness, and Changbin revelled in the fact that he was one of the very few people who has borne witness to Seungmin’s tender, gentler side.

Somehow, this contrast is exactly why Changbin fell in love with him.

Changbin's 22nd birthday had fallen on a summer when he’d taken an unpaid internship at a local startup. The job wasn't really good for anything but to pad his résumé, but it was a good summer nevertheless because he ended up getting along pretty well with people from work and from a purely social point of view, that meant two months of doing coffee runs and proof reading his team leader’s presentations was worth it.

His actual birthday was on a Saturday that year, so the plans he made with his closest friends – Seungmin, and this was a couple of months before they started dating, included – took place over the weekend. But Friday night, on the eve of his birthday, his work friends decided to kidnap him for an all-night birthday debauchery, and he hadn't put up a fight.

“Will be home late,” he'd texted the group chat he shared with Hyunjin, Minho and Seungmin who were his housemates at the time. “Don't wait up!”

And he had thought that was that – he hadn’t expected to stumble into their apartment at almost two in the morning, halfway drunk, only to find Seungmin in the living room area, head resting on an open text book. Next to his books, sat atop the coffee table, was a round cream cake, an unlit candle stuck in the middle of it. 

Even in his inebriated state, it wasn’t hard to figure out that the cake was for him and that Seungmin had made an attempt to stay up and wait for him. The idea had tickled his insides, and before he realised what he was doing, he was already lowering himself to the floor so that he could be eye level with the younger male.

“Seungmin!” He’d cooed, his voice a little louder than he’d normally intend for it to be, thanks to the alcohol in his system. He had boldly wrapped his arms around the younger, only to have Seungmin immediately stir in his sleep.

“Get off—” Seungmin grumbled, and half-heartedly attempted to push Changbin away. “What time is it?”

“Birthday o’clock,” Changbin whispered, giggling. He wanted to kiss Seungmin right then, to claim the younger’s lips as his present but his mother raised him to be better than that. “You waited for me, huh?”

“No,” Seungmin snarled, sleepy  _ and  _ snippy. “I was  _ studying.” _

“It’s Friday night.”

“Your breath stinks of alcohol,” Seungmin shot back, completely veering away from the point being made.

“Sorry I made you wait,” Changbin apologised anyway as he ran his fingers through his hair and watched Seungmin quickly gather his books. He was quickly sobering up by the second, and he could tell that Seungmin was flushed. Out of annoyance or out of embarrassment that Changbin is clearly calling him out, he was unsure, but he was amused anyway.

“I wasn’t waiting,” Seungmin insisted, lips pressed together in a thin line. He couldn’t meet Changbin’s eyes, and that was how Changbin knew he wasn’t being completely honest. Minho was always telling him that the two of them were a pair of idiots stupidly dancing around their feelings, but until that night he never gave much heed to the older boy’s words. (He wasn’t one to talk anyway, considering the state he was in with Jisung at the time.) “And the cake,” Seungmin added after he’d stood up, books cradled in his arms, “is only because it was on sale.”

It was silly, and Seungmin kept acting like Changbin had the completely wrong impression – but it was sweet, anyway. He’d already lived with Seungmin for almost two years at that point, and he was pretty sure he'd never done anything similar for anyone else. Not even Hyunjin got a midnight cake from Seungmin.

“Where are you going?” Changbin asked him as he knelt in front of the cake, and used the lighter he found laying around to light up the candle. “You already got the cake, and you're up anyway, so just stay for me and my wish! And—” He looked up and tugged at the hem of Seungmin's shirt, before reaching for his hand and pulling him down. “You might as well sing the birthday song, too.”

Seungmin looked so cute with his hair looking rumpled, and his lips curved into a grumpy pout, and it was easy to keep grinning at him, cocky and toothy and  _ challenging, _ until finally Seungmin had let out an annoyed scoff and placed his books back down.

“Fine,” he said, sighing as if he was carrying some kind of earthly burden, but not five seconds later he started softly singing  _ Happy Birthday, _ anyway.

(It wasn’t until months later, on a particularly good date, that Changbin managed to make Seungmin admit that he was waiting up for Changbin that evening.

“I had a stupid crush on you, and I wanted to be the first one to greet you a happy birthday, okay,” Seungmin told him with a huff. “I also kinda wanted to smash cake on your face—” He added, with a cute, soft giggle that Changbin, by then, knew was only reserved for him.

“Don’t worry,” he’d assured Seungmin with a proud grin. “All my birthdays from now on are yours.”

“Cheesy,” Seungmin answered, with a wince and an eyeroll, but the smile that tugged at his lips told Changbin he secretly loved it.

Moments like these – they were what made being with Seungmin absolutely worth it.)

  
  
  
  


**08:56 PM**

“Yeah, so in five months, at your wedding, Nakko will probably be showing,” Seungmin is saying as he digs his fork into his tiramisu.

It’s time for dessert, and over the course of their meal, the conversation had slowly wandered to the topic of their friends and what they've been up to. Seungmin had told them about how Jeongin is settling in Korea after being assigned a job post there for six months (“He misses Jiheon, but she pointed out that they've mostly been in a long-distance relationship for most of their time together, and told him that he should have fun rediscovering his own culture while he's there,” Seungmin relays. “And then he mentioned that they plan on moving in further once he gets back—guess he'll be home in time for your wedding, too.”), while Jisung had brought up Chan’s recent updates with Felix after they'd met up in Australia while the older was visiting family (“He met Felix’s boyfriend, right? And they posted all those happy looking pictures, right?” Jisung tsks. “But when we were talking, just me and Chris, I had the impression that he didn't really like Felix's man that much. But I couldn't figure out if he was just being overprotective of Felix as usual, or if it was something else. We should visit Felix in Australia too, and figure this out for ourselves! One day!”)

And now Changbin and Seungmin have just dropped the big news that Hyunjin shared with them a couple of nights ago – he and his wife were expecting, and were already a month and a half into the pregnancy.

“Wow,” Jisung responds, eyes wide. “ _ Wow,” _ he repeats, before he suddenly huffs and shakes his head. “So why hasn’t he told the rest of us yet?!”

“It’s not like he’s keeping it a secret,” Changbin counters.

“More like he was just expecting Changbin and his big mouth to spread the news,” Minho offers, laughing.

Jisung hums, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Hmm, you’ve got a point there, I suppose—”

“Hey!” Changbin squawks, clicking his tongue at his friend. “I resent that!”

“Please—” Seungmin interrupts; underneath the table, his hand slides into Changbin’s, giving it a squeeze. It’s almost like he’s telling him not to mind the tag-team teasing that’s coming from Minho and Jisung. The truth is that Changbin already doesn’t; he’s used to the two of them, and Seungmin knows that, but it’s a nice gesture, and Changbin appreciates it. “You know he tells Changbin everything first.”

“He tells  _ us,” _ Changbin quickly corrects him, because for some reason, ten years later, Seungmin still has a habit of putting himself second to Changbin when it comes to Hyunjin. As far as  _ he _ knows, to Hyunjin, they’ve pretty much morphed into a single entity – but for him, it feels a little too getting ahead of himself to actually say that out loud to Seungmin, even now that they’ve been together for as long as they have. That’s  _ his _ issue, probably, but either way, the point is that they’re both Hyunjin’s best friends.

He turns and gives Seungmin a sweet, encouraging smile which is returned with a nod of appreciative acknowledgement.

And then Jisung is making some kind of gagging noise from across the table, drawing their attention to him. “Stop being a gross, sappy couple,” Jisung berates them once he’s sure all eyes are on him. “Minho and I are still here, you know.”

Seungmin actually  _ scoffs _ at that, and Changbin has to hold back a snort. 

“That’s big coming from  _ you,” _ Seungmin barks at Jisung. Changbin has to agree because Jisung and Minho are the absolute worst at alienating other people when they have their couple moments, even though they never actually mean to. But Seungmin also sounds like he’s bracing for another argument, which Changbin bristles at. Luckily, Minho is able to cut through the building tension with laughter.

“Stop getting riled up so easily,” Minho tells Seungmin, one arm draped around the back of Jisung’s chair. “We’ve been friends for what—? Ten years, and Jisung still knows how to push your buttons.”

Seungmin rolls his eyes, and Changbin quickly squeezes his hand – it’s  _ his  _ turn to give Seungmin a nice, calming gesture. “Of course you’d take his side,” Seungmin shoots back at Minho anyway, but there isn’t really any bite to it.

“Just like Changbin will always take  _ yours,” _ Minho returns, and then he’s laughing some more, so of course Jisung joins in. And then, with a sigh, Seungmin actually follows suit, eventually dragging Changbin along with him.

In the process, Seungmin naturally, unthinkingly leans against him and their joint hands shift to allow their fingers to naturally thread together. There’s something about the way it happens, like it’s their mutual way of assuring each other that they’re  _ here _ – that they’re in this, whatever this is, together.

  
  
  
  


**‹‹**

Changbin remembers a particular time when they first started dating – shortly after Seungmin’s 21st birthday (and the night of their first kiss), but before they talked about making things official. It was one morning, and he’d woken up at what felt like the crack of dawn; it was, in reality, probably just around eight in the morning, except it was a  _ weekend, _ and as far as Changbin was concerned, any time before noon was  _ the fucking crack of dawn. _ Either way, the only reason he’d gotten out of bed was because his throat was parched and he wanted to get a glass of water.

He found Seungmin in the kitchen, staring at an open fridge.

“We’re out of milk,” the younger male had informed him, deadpan in tone. And then he’d shut the fridge door and straightened up, only to stare at the grocery list tacked onto the fridge. “And no one bothered to add it onto the list,” he huffed, producing a pen out of seemingly nowhere and scribbling the additional item to the list with obvious annoyance.

_ Oops, _ Changbin thought, because he was pretty sure that was his doing. He vaguely remembered finishing what was left of the carton the previous afternoon, and then just throwing the empty container in the trash before heading out to meet some friends. 

“It was Minho,” he quickly said, but the squinty glance Seungmin threw his way told him that the latter wasn’t buying it.

Changbin braced himself for an earful from Seungmin, because as he’d learned over the last several weeks, kissing privileges did not exempt him from Seungmin’s prickliness. Surprisingly, that wasn’t what he got. Instead, he noticed as the younger's shoulders visibly relax, and when Seungmin turned to look at him, there was softness in his eyes.

“I’m in the mood for eggs and we don't have those either,” He pointed out.

“Err, yeah, someone should get groceries soon,” Changbin answered.

“Isn’t it your turn this week?”

_ Oh shit, right, _ Changbin thought, wincing – it was too early in the day for him to be digging his own grave.

“Right, I’ll get on that, soon,” he mumbled, lifting his hand to rub his eyes open. He was still feeling tired and sleepy, but he couldn’t bring himself to simply turn on his heel and head straight back to his room. Firstly, he was still thirsty. Secondly – well, Seungmin was right there, and the younger has had a strange pull on him for a while by then.

“Let’s get breakfast,” Seungmin suddenly said, his gaze firmly fixed on Changbin.

“Right now?” Changbin had gawked. “Outside?”

Seungmin nodded.

“It’s so early!” He whined, sounding like a big baby; for some reason, that actually got a small smile out of Seungmin instead of a much expected eye roll. This told Changbin he was in a good mood and that he was allowed to push a few buttons. “It’s almost nine,” Seungmin pointed out.

“Exactly. It’s so early,” he repeated, walking over so he could finally help himself to that glass of water. “Stop being such a morning angel, Seungmin.”

“A morning angel, huh?” Seungmin snorted.

“My angel,” Changbin echoed, and then he flashed him a cheeky grin; this time Seungmin actually made a gagging expression. 

“If you don’t want to, then I’ll go by myself,” Simply said, and then he turned and started to walk away from the kitchen area.

“Wait—!” Changbin called out, almost choking on water that had barely gone down his throat. He waved his hand, attempting to reach out to Seungmin. “I’ll go with,” he said; his cheeky grin had morphed into a more sheepish one. “Give me five minutes. Just let me wash my face first.”

(He took longer than that, but Seungmin waited anyway.)

They went to a diner that was halfway the distance between their apartment and the university; it was somewhere they regularly went to with their housemates and their other friends. Seungmin asked for bacon and eggs, and Changbin chose the stack of pancakes.

“It’s so early,” He continued to whine after the waitress was done taking their order. “We could have just gotten milk from the convenience store across the street, you know.” His head laid on the table, cheek practically rubbing against the surface.

“I’m not sure that’s very sanitary,” Seungmin berated him. “And I told you, I want eggs. We don’t have eggs at home because  _ someone _ hasn’t gone grocery shopping yet.”

Changbin could only sigh and make more grumbling noises. “I’m still sleepy,” he mumbled, only to get Seungmin quietly staring at him in exchange. “Who goes out this early on weekends?”

“You were awake!” Seungmin pointed out. “So I asked  _ you!” _

At this, Changbin finally sat up straight. “Are you saying you would have asked the others to go with, if they were awake too?”

Seungmin sighed. “Are you really upset about this? You could have just said no,” he pointed out, totally circumventing Changbin’s question. “I would have been fine eating by myself. I  _ like _ eating by myself.”

“But I went anyway!” Changbin argued. “I didn’t want you to be alone!”

“Yeah, well,” Seungmin grumbled. “I wanted to be alone with you.” 

Just like that, Changbin woke up completely, his ears warm from the admittance.

(Seungmin had dragged him to the supermarket after that. “We need supplies,” he said simply, and he had the car, and Changbin didn’t have any choice but to go along – not that he would have denied Seungmin anything after the morning they had. 

That night, he loitered around the kitchen as Seungmin tried, for the first time in his life, to make kimchi stew. 

“What even possessed you to cook?” Changbin asked, tiptoeing so he can look over the taller male’s shoulder; it wasn’t as if Seungmin regularly utilized the kitchen – and even then, he mostly just fried things and made sandwiches.

“The kimchi was on sale,” Seungmin simply answered. “And I’ve seen my mom do this a lot when I was young. I’m not going to poison anyone, so just focus on cooking rice like I told you to.”

Changbin had laughed, and as he scooped and measured uncooked rice, all he could think of was how domestic the entire scene felt.

And this is what kept running through his mind, until finally, right as Seungmin was about to send him off to set the table— 

“Hey,” he called out, his voice low, rough, but in a cautious way. “Seungmin— what would you say if I asked you to be mine?”

Seungmin had his back to him, still busy fiddling with the pot of stew he was cooking. Changbin noticed his shoulders tense up at the question, and for a moment he could feel his own pulse racing.

He was confident that Seungmin liked him – or, well, he kissed like he did anyway. That didn't stop him from feeling nervous, and he supposed that was because of how much he really liked the younger male.

“Are you—” Seungmin's breath had hitched, and Changbin took one step closer; he reached over for Seungmin's shoulder, planning to turn him around, but then Seungmin continued, “— are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”

His tone was calculatedly even, but then he turned around and the smile on his face was too bright and too genuine, and it was clear that he couldn't help himself.

“Well, maybe you'd rather I put it like this— I’m asking if I can be  _ your _ boyfriend?”

Seungmin laughed, Changbin flashed him a grin, and then,

“Well if you put it that way, how can I say no?”)

  
  
  
  


**09:28 PM**

“See you guys next week!” Jisung chirps happily, waving as he and Minho separate from Changbin and Minho in the restaurant's parking lot. 

“Next week,” Seungmin echoes in agreement. Changbin nods, biting his tongue even though he's tempted to make a crack about how Seungmin has missed weekly the last few weekly dinners with Minho and Jisung.

This was something they had all agreed to do a while back, shortly after Seungmin and Changbin had gotten back together, and the four of them had slowly gotten busy with their separate adult lives. It was Jisung’s idea, naturally (“It’s just the four of us here now, it’d be dumb to drift apart — we don’t stop being friends just because we have more responsibilities!”), but all of them had agreed to the frequency of seeing each other at least once a week unless there were other, more pressing matters on hand (“We all live in the same city,” Jisung had pointed out. “We don’t have any excuses. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”)

Seungmin has broken this deal consecutively three times over the last month (and that was probably a big part of why Jisung had been so huffy earlier when Seungmin was late on top of  _ that), _ and Changbin is pretty sure he would have tried to opt out of that night’s dinner as well if it wasn’t so blatantly obvious that something special was going down, after Minho had texted them that they’d gotten reservations at ‘that one fancy place Seungmin has been talking about even before the restaurant had even opened.’ (Minho's words, verbatim.)

“I think this is their way of making sure you come,” Changbin pointed out to Seungmin, who couldn’t come up with any argument because Changbin was so obviously right.

The truth is that the two of them have barely had time to themselves ever since Seungmin’s firm had landed that big, new fancy client and Seungmin had decided to take on most of the responsibility. “If I play my cards right, this will become my ticket to becoming a junior partner,” he’d explained to Changbin, and at the time, he’d been too proud of his boyfriend to even realise how much this – paired with Seungmin’s one track mind – would impact their relationship.

“Are you working this weekend?” Changbin casually asks Seungmin as he heads around to the driver’s seat of his car. “Do you want to sleep over, or should I drop you off at yours?”

He  _ tries _ to sound casual anyway, and he thinks he makes it work. (He’s had Minho in his life for a while after all, and Minho is the king of feigned nonchalance, so Changbin’s certainly learned from the best.) The thing is, if it hadn't been for their occasional sleepovers, he probably wouldn’t have seen much of Seungmin at all. He appreciates that Seungmin coming home to him at the end of long nights at work (or Seungmin letting  _ him _ stay over, for that matter) is his boyfriend’s attempt at making sure they at least still  _ see _ each other. It’s sweet, in his own way, and this is why Changbin can’t bring himself to complain.

“Can you come and stay over instead?” Seungmin replies as he buckles himself into the front passenger seat, and Changbin immediately puts two and two together. He  _ is _ working over the weekend, which is why he’d rather stay at his place than Changbin’s.

Seungmin has a studio loft downtown, closer to where he works. Changbin’s place is nicer and more spacious, but it was also located at the other end of the city, so Seungmin regularly prefers staying at his own apartment. Almost a year ago, after Changbin’s lease on his old apartment had run out, he’d chosen this new one in the hopes of at least opening a discussion about the two of them moving in together, but his boyfriend had unwittingly made him feel like he wasn’t ready for it, nor was he ready to live anywhere that was more than a thirty minute commute away from the business district so Changbin had dropped the subject without ever bringing it up.

“Okay,” he readily agrees to Seungmin’s request even though he doesn’t have an overnight bag with him. He’s stayed over enough before that he has some of his things at Seungmin’s place, at least. 

He focuses on backing out of the parking lot, and Seungmin falls into complete silence, simply leaning back against his seat as he stares out the window.

“You tired?” Changbin asks once he’s managed to pull out onto the main road. Absolute silence tends to make him uncomfortable, to the point where he always feels the need to fill it in himself. “Tonight was nice, wasn’t it?”

“Mhm,” Seungmin hums in response, and Changbin can only sigh.

“Can you believe those two actually decided to get hitched?”He laughs, low and throaty, the sound reverberating around the small space of the car. “Like— when did Minho and Jisung become  _ that _ couple?” 

Seungmin actually manages a snort this time, and a nod to go along with his humming response. “Happy for them,” he murmurs.

“I hope Woojin pushes through with his plans to move back west like Minho mentioned,” he continues to ramble. “I’m sure he misses the sun. Would be nice to have someone else around. I’m tired of our social life just revolving around Minho and Jisung,” he jokes.

“Yeah,” Seungmin quietly agrees.

“Is everything okay?” Changbin asks him, finally. Seungmin usually wouldn't miss a chance to poke fun at their friends with an opening like that.

“Mhm, just tired,” is all he gets.

He sighs and holds his hand out, palm up; there’s a beat – a couple, actually, and he almost takes it back – before Seungmin sighs as well, and he feels the warmth of his boyfriend’s hand wrapping around his own.

Changbin glances sideways and offers Seungmin a small smile; he squeezes his hand, and then he refocuses his attention back on the road and the route to Seungmin’s apartment.

  
  
  
  


**‹‹**

Full disclosure: Changbin likes to look at their time together with rose-tinted glasses. It wasn’t – it  _ isn’t _ – obviously; as already established, dating Seungmin isn’t always easy. But at the end of the day, he blames himself for the two years they lost, for what they could have had, and he reasons that it probably isn’t the easiest thing either, loving him.

For their original two year anniversary, Changbin had made plans to surprise Seungmin with a nice weekend just for the two of them. He had dipped into his savings and made reservations for a nice suite at the fanciest, four-star hotel in town. This was the kind of thing he knew would please Seungmin, and Changbin was quite excited about it.

Except,

“I have three hundred pages worth of revision to do this weekend,” Seungmin had told him, “And I know it's our anniversary but I really need to be alone.”

“Oh.” Changbin had supposed that at least Seungmin hadn’t  _ forgotten _ that it was their anniversary, because that would have been more heartbreaking. Besides, he’d reasoned with himself, it wasn’t as if Seungmin was aware of the grand weekend he had planned. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Seungmin shook his head. “I just need time to myself.”

But it was their damn  _ anniversary.  _ Two years was a milestone, and Changbin was stubborn, so after sending their housemates off (he passed off his hotel reservation to Hyunjin, told him to treat his woman right, while he bribed Minho with the promise of future favors so that he'd make himself scarce), he planted himself in Seungmin’s room and swore up and down he wouldn't disturb his boyfriend unless it was time for meals. 

“It’s enough just to be together,” was his silly rationale.

He managed to stay true to his word for a little over three hours, just playing match-three games on his phone while sprawled on the bed, doing his best to stay quiet while Seungmin remained hunched over at his desk, furiously taking notes on whatever law book it was that he was poring over.

Then Seungmin had groaned in palpable frustration just as he reached a dead end in his game, and suddenly Changbin was up on his feet and padding over towards the younger male.

“Everything okay?” he asked, hands already kneading at Seungmin’s shoulder blades. “You look like you deserve a break.”

“I don't,” Seungmin grumbled, letting go of his pen and flicking it across the table. “I really don’t.”

He was obviously in a grumpy mood, but Changbin figured that was okay – he could work with that.

“Come on,” he said, letting go of his boyfriend's shoulders so he could grab the backrest of his swivel chair and turn him around to face him. “Hi.”

Seungmin had looked up at him, and when their eyes met, Changbin could see the tiredness in them, and it pained him because he didn't really know how to help ease his boyfriend's stress.

“Changbin, I have so much work to do,” Seungmin insisted, but there had been uncharacteristic defeat in his tone, which only served to strengthen Changbin's resolve to get him to take a break.

“A breather would help, come on.” He grinned and reached over, running his fingers through Seungmin’s hair. And then he leaned over, pausing only very briefly so that Seungmin can turn away if he really wanted to – but he didn’t so Changbin stopped hesitating. 

He kissed Seungmin, slow at first, smiling as his lips sweetly shifted against his. Seungmin initially remained still, but then Changbin moved to sit on his lap, hand resting on Seungmin’s hip while his thumb slid past the hem of Seungmin’s shirt, caressing bare skin in the process. It was a sensitive, ticklish spot and it got him the reaction he expected – a throaty giggle from Seungmin. 

It went from there – sweet, chaste kisses easily escalated to a full on makeout session, and for a while, time got away from them. And then Changbin was attempting to pull Seungmin’s t-shirt off, and Seungmin, in return had gripped his waist and forced him to stop moving.

“Stop—” Seungmin hissed; Changbin wouldn’t listen, and he continued to attach his lips anywhere he could place them, nipping at Seungmin’s bare neck while he continued his attempt to grind down his boyfriend. “Changbin, stop,” Seungmin repeated. “I told you I don’t have time for this.”

This time the sharpness in his tone had made a reappearance and it actually made Changbin still; he remained seated on Seungmin’s lap but he leaned away, a slight frown lining his lips. “Sorry.”

“Whatever,” Seungmin answered; where he was nearing hot and bothered just a mere seconds ago, he was now cold and short. It was a wonder he didn’t get whiplash from the sudden change in his mood. “I really need to get back to work.”

“Seungmin—” Changbin sighed. He probably should get off his boyfriend then, but instead he wrapped his arms around the other and buried his face into the crook of his neck. He was drowning in frustration that had been building up for at least a couple of months already, ever since Seungmin started law school and Changbin started feeling like he was slowly losing his boyfriend. Their anniversary celebration was something he looked forward to because it felt like something that could help them reconnect – he missed his boyfriend, and all he wanted was at least a little bit of time with him.

“Changbin,” Seungmin responded, curt and impatient.

_ “Seungmin,” _ Changbin said. “It’s our anniversary.”

“I know, but it’s not like my professors care about that.”

“Don’t  _ you _ care?”

Changbin has always been a patient person, but even he had his limits and he was rapidly nearing that threshold.

“Changbin,” Seungmin repeated, and with an annoyed huff, Changbin finally stood from his lap.

“Pretty sure there are better ways you can be wearing my name out like that,” he attempted to make a joke, but the way he said it just came out flat. “You know I made plans for us this weekend? Everything was already half-paid for too.” He didn’t mean to sound accusatory either, but he was tired and annoyed, and apparently that meant a whole lot less control of his vocal intonation.

Seungmin stared at him. “I didn’t ask you to do that,” he said in a way that made Changbin if  _ he _ meant that sharpness in his to.

“I know, but—” Changbin groaned. “I tell you that I planned something nice for our special day and  _ that’s _ how you react? Really?”

“What do you want me to say?” Seungmin scoffed, shaking his head and swinging his chair around so that he could face his desk again.

“Well the least you could do is at least face me when we’re trying to have an argument.”

“I don’t want to argue,” Seungmin pointed out. “I just want to get this work done.”

It frustrated Changbin that Seungmin couldn’t even bring it in him to  _ sound  _ as frustrated as Changbin felt, and that was what was driving him to the brink. “Fuck—” he growled, throwing hands in the air. “Do what you want, then,” he snapped, grabbing his phone, and his wallet and making a move towards the door.

“I’ll make it up to you,” Seungmin said, tired and soulless.

Changbin wanted to believe him, but that was barely conveyed when he slammed the door behind him after he walked out of the room.

(Seungmin never got around to making up for anything – two months and three days later, Changbin ended things between them instead.)

  
  
  
  


**09:48 PM**

When Changbin turns the corner to Seungmin’s street, he immediately notices his boyfriend start to fidget in his seat. He doesn't say anything at first, but as he slows down so he can park at his usual spot across the street, Seungmin suddenly reaches for his wrist.

“Huh?” He glances sideways and casts a worried, but questioning look at the younger man. “What's wrong?”

“Keep driving,” Seungmin calmly tells him.

“What do you mean?” He is, unsurprisingly, confused at the request. “Where to?”

Seungmin shrugs. 

“Do you want to head to mine? Stay over, maybe?” He gets a head shake as an answer, and he lets out a puff of air, exasperated. “Seungmin—”

“I just don't want to go home yet,” Seungmin murmurs. “I just—” He sighs, and flashes a tired, weak smile at Changbin. “Just please keep the car running?”

Changbin softens at his time, and he nods; when he asks that way, almost pleading and desperate, how can he say no?

So he doesn't pull over – he has no idea where they're headed, and he figures he'll just drive in circles around the city until they both get tired.

“Thank you,” Seungmin tells him, and Changbin briefly wonders if the former is aware that he'll probably do almost anything for him.

“So, what's on your mind?” He asks, before that air of frustrating silence takes over again.

“Not much,” Seungmin answers softly.

“Seungmin—” Changbin frowns. “Please talk to me,” he says, and this time, it’s his turn to sound pleading and borderline desperate.

Seungmin remains quiet for several more seconds – a minute at most, maybe, but the silence feels much longer than that for Changbin.

“I was thinking about that summer when Hyunjin worked part-time as a lifeguard at the beach,” Seungmin suddenly says, and the topic feels so random and out of left field that Changbin finds himself laughing.

“That was the summer we all moved in together, wasn’t it?” Changbin asks. “Summer after your freshman year?”

“Mhm,” Seungmin confirms. 

“So, back when you still hated me.”

“I never hated you!” Seungmin argues.

“Yes, you did. You couldn’t stand me during that entire first year you roomed with Hyunjin!”

“Uh, yeah— you were annoying, and I totally could not stand you. I constantly wondered why you couldn’t just stay in your own damn room down the hall instead of always bothering us in ours,” Seungmin agrees. “But I never hated you. Hate is a strong word.”

“I just wanted to be friends.”

“You were doing it wrong,” Seungmin scoffs; he was getting a little heated, which made Changbin smile –  _ this _ was his Seungmin. “You gave the worst first impression. You told the worst jokes—”

“You love my jokes,” Changbin interrupts. “You just pretended to hate them at first, but you always found them funny!”

“Whatever,” Seungmin shoots back without actually denying the accusation. “And you kept acting too familiar with me!”

“You were Hyunjin’s roommate! So I wanted to be friends with you— and you know that’s just how I get close to people. I joke around with them, and I act  _ friendly _ with them.”

“Well it was totally the wrong approach with me.” 

They reach a red line at a crosswalk and after he slows to a stop, Changbin turns his head so he can look at Seungmin squarely. “Obviously I know that now,” he expresses. “But I won you over in the end anyway, didn’t I?”

“Unfortunately,” Seungmin huffs.

“So how would you say the actual me compares to the first impression you had of me?” Changbin asks; their eyes meet, and he smiles, hoping to get a sweet, honest and straightforward answer from his boyfriend for once.

“Changbin,” Seungmin tells him, all soft and gentle, and it fills him up with anticipation. “The light’s green again,” is what he gets instead.

  
  
  
  


**‹‹**

“Where do you see yourself ten years from now?” Changbin asked Seungmin once. They were spooning in bed, basking in the sweet comfort of post-coital afterglow, and Changbin was feeling vaguely philosophical because sex sometimes had that effect on him.

“Getting a nice eight full hours of rest, hopefully,” Seungmin murmured, sleepily nuzzling the back of his neck.

“No, really,” Changbin softly drawled. “But okay, fine— maybe ten is a little too far off. how about we go for five? Where do you see yourself five years from now?”

Seungmin chuckled, his breath warm, moist and ticklish against Changbin’s skin, which he strangely kind of liked.

“Five years…” Seungmin trailed off, humming quietly while he planted a few more chaste kisses along the curve of Changbin’s shoulder. “I guess I’ll be a practising lawyer by then. I should be working for a big, prestigious firm, earning the beginnings of a fortune and hopefully coasting on the partner track.”

Changbin didn’t answer for a few short seconds, waiting to see if Seungmin has any more to say.

“That’s it?” He asked when nothing else came. “All you’re going to talk about is career trajections?”

“What else was I supposed to include?” Seungmin tried to keep it deadpan, but Changbin could easily detect a hint of mischief in his tone. He knew exactly what Changbin was angling to hear and he was deflecting on purpose to tease.

“Seungmin Kim,” he said as he shifted and turned around so that they could be face to face.

“Changbin Seo,” was Seungmin’s casual sounding response.

“Are there any people in particular you see in your life five years from now?”

“Well, I guess it would be nice to be the godfather to Hyunjin’s baby twins,” Seungmin volunteered sassily.

Changbin laughed. “You don’t even like kids.”

“Maybe I’d like them if they were my best friend’s kids,” Seungmin pointed out. “Besides, Hyunjin and Nakko would make really cute babies, don’t you think?”

Changbin mentally agreed with that – Hyunjin and his girlfriend would probably produce beautiful little dolls, given the chance to procreate. He doesn’t say that though, because that was beside the point in that moment.

He stared at his boyfriend; his eyes were droopy from tiredness, but his gaze managed to still be sincere. “I see you in my life five years from now, Seungmin,” he murmured, shuffling closer, his nose lightly grazing Seungmin’s. “Ten years, even. Fifteen— twenty—”

And he would have kept going, maybe, if Seungmin had not swooped in, grinning as he interrupted Changbin’s would-be monologue with a searing kiss.

  
  
  
  


**10:01 PM**

The traffic isn’t that bad this late at night for which Changbin is grateful for. He navigates the roads with ease, occasionally checking the GPS to make sure he still has the route to their favorite beach memorized because that’s what he has decided their destination is.

Seungmin, thankfully, is in a more relaxed mood; he’s fiddled with the audio system and it was now softly blasting some male balladeer that Changbin knows his boyfriend has been obsessed with recently. Seungmin is also quietly singing under his breath, and Changbin wishes he'd do it louder because he always did like his boyfriend's singing voice. They used to go to karaoke bars a lot with their friends during the tail-end of college, and the two of them used to do silly duets together.

The memory easily makes him smile, and he's about to make a request that Seungmin turn his volume up when the latter actually beats him to speaking up.

“You know you're right,” he says, confusing Changbin with the random conversation pivot.

“Uh, I’m right a lot of the time,” he points out cheekily. “But I’m going to need you to be more specific on this one.”

“About Minho and Jisung,” Seungmin clarifies. “Minho, and Jisung, and how and when the fuck they became the picture perfect example of a happy, healthy, stable couple.”

Changbin snorts. The comment is Classic Seungmin, his tone garnished with not only a hint of mockery and derision, but also a tinge of genuine fondness. Also, bonus: a sprinkle of envy.

“Right?” He immediately agrees. “It took them what? Ages—  _ forever, _ even, to get their shit together and now they're living in a nice house right by the beach, engaged to be married. Minho must have sacrificed a goat to some satanic deity.”

Seungmin snorts at that and feeling good about that reaction, Changbin lets himself laugh out loud.

“God, they used to be so damn dysfunctional, and now they're suddenly couple goals or something,” Seungmin comments.

Changbin arches an eyebrow, undoubtedly surprised by his choice of words. “They're goals for you?”

He gets an eye roll in return, but he doesn't mind because it's still more of a reaction than tired, expressionless humming. “You know what I mean, Changbin. Remember how bad their timing used to be— like there was that one time Jisung came over, all set to tell Minho to man up, square up and date him—?” 

Changbin snorts because he's pretty sure those had been Jisung's own words when he'd told them his side of this story that happened at least six or seven years ago.

“Yeah,” he nods, keeping his hands on the wheel and his eyes on the road. “It was like a fucking TV drama because Minho had— who was it? Ben? Was it White Boy Ben who was over that day that Jisung found him spooning with? Lucky Jisung didn't arrive fifteen earlier or they would have been forking instead.”

Seungmin shakes his head. “Pretty sure it was Yeonjun. And they actually went out for a whole month, versus Ben who was like a one time? Two? Time thing.”

“Whoever it was, the point is that they weren't Jisung. Minho was such a dumbass back in the day,” Changbin rambles, “in constant denial about how much Jisung meant to him.”

“Trust me, Jisung wasn't any better— pined after Minho for ages, and then when they got close, he kept pretending he was over him because they were supposedly better off as friends when everyone knew he just wanted Minho to make the first move.”

“They were a couple of big, fat idiots.”

“The first time I kissed you, it was because I didn't want to be them,” Seungmin admits. “I didn't want to be a big, fat idiot in denial of my feelings.”

“Oh?”

Seungmin sighs, but he also nods. “Look at them now, though.”

“Yeah, they're so scarily—  _ annoyingly _ — in sync that it makes me want to smack their heads together.”

“Sometimes,” Seungmin starts, his voice quieter all of a sudden, “I wish we were more like them.”

The confession surprises Changbin – not because of what it packs, but more that Seungmin actually admitted it out loud. It’s one thing to admire the trajectory of their friends’ relationship, but completely another to admit to coveting it – especially for someone as proud as Seungmin.

“Hey—” Changbin frowns, because even though he actually understands Seungmin's sentiment – relates to it, even – he still isn't sure how to feel about it. “We’re doing fine, aren't we?”

He finds himself bracing for the answer, which surprises him. He supposes that the last couple of months must have been rougher than he had been willing to admit. 

“I think so,” Seungmin answers. “Aren’t we?”

“Seungmin…” Changbin trails off because he isn’t sure what Seungmin is trying to get at.

“Changbin,” Seungmin returns.

They stay quiet, the sweet voice of the male singer Seungmin loves so much taking over the enclosed space of the car as Changbin maneuvers the car into the beachside parking lot.

“Come on,” he says after he turns the engine off; he faces Seungmin and gives him a small smile. “Let’s get some air.”

They walk down the beach toward the shore, side by side, the backs of their hands brushing against each other's, until Changbin simply goes and grabs Seungmin’s hand, naturally slotting their fingers together.

“Earlier you were talking about that summer that Hyunjin worked as a lifeguard here,” he mentions suddenly.

“Mhm.” Seungmin nods. “That was a fun summer.”

“Wasn’t that the summer you got sunburnt?” 

“...okay, so maybe it wasn’t the  _ best _ summer,” Seungmin grumpily backtracks, and Changbin cackles with nostalgic glee.

“I also remember Jisung and Minho constantly making fun of you for always wearing rubber shoes out here on the sand.”

Seungmin scoffs. “Jisung was a little shit, and Minho had no room to talk because he couldn’t even swim!”

Changbin keeps laughing. “True on both counts, but also unrelated to the fact that your entire thing about never wanting to feel wet sand between your toes is kinda ridiculous.”

“Whatever.”

“Seungmin—” His laughter trails off and the two of them stop walking just a few feet away from the shore, and then he turns and looks up at his boyfriend. “I love you,” he says, his voice dropping to a low, gravelly tone, “and as far as I’m concerned we’re doing just fine. But if there’s a problem— if something is bothering you, you have to tell me.”

  
  
  
  


**‹‹**

For a while, after they broke up, Changbin was a miserable mess. Not that he ever let anyone see it – it turned out that Seungmin’s pride had rubbed off on him a lot more than he had realised.

Seungmin’s focus on career was also a little contagious apparently, because for the first few months he’d thrown himself into his job as well. Otherwise, he passed his days going through the motions, channeling his pain into creativity at work; during his free time he hung out with friends, laughing whenever he was normally expected to. He traded barbs with Minho like usual, and cracked jokes at Jisung’s expense. He occasionally hung out with Jeongin and bought him meals whenever he was stressed out about working on his undergraduate thesis, and while Woojin, Chan and Felix had all already moved out of state by then, he kept in constant contact with them, answering their messages of comfort with carefully picked words of wit so they’d think he was doing fine.

Hyunjin, if anyone, was probably the only one with any idea how bad he had it but he never said anything – instead, he claimed Changbin’s every other weekend which he ended up spending as the third wheel to a lot of his dates with Nakyung. Facebook evidence proved that most of the Saturdays that didn’t go to him, went to Seungmin instead – Hyunjin was like that after all, always making sure that he didn’t take one friend’s side over the other.

“Someone tell Hyunjin I’m not a charity case,” he confided in Minho once when they were drinking. 

Seungmin had found a small place to himself after the break-up, while Hyunjin had long ago moved in with his girlfriend. Jisung, whose lease on the apartment he used to share with Felix had lapsed a month after the latter had left for Australia, was set to move in with them, but he was out of town for a while, on vacation and visiting relatives in Malaysia for a couple of weeks, and so at this point, during a brief window in time, Changbin was left sharing an apartment with just Minho.

Bored out of their wits and with no other plans because it was Seungmin’s “weekend” with Hyunjin, Minho and Changbin had bought a six pack of beer and several bottles of soju at the Korean minimart a few blocks away and decided to make a night out of it.

“What the fuck are you going on about—?” Was Minho’s aggressive but confused reaction to Changbin’s words.

“Hyunjin,” Changbin clarified. “He keeps dragging me along with him and Nakko and their dates in a misguided attempt to make me feel better,” he grumbled, downing the contents of the shot glass that Minho just refilled with soju – he hissed as the liquid passed down his throat, but frankly he kind of enjoyed the burn and the stinging sensation.

“Wait, so to make you feel better, Hyunjin makes you spend time with him and his girlfriend, with whom he’s very much in love with, and who is very much in love with him right back?” Minho carefully laid out. “That’s fucked up.”

“Shut up, he’s  _ trying,” _ Changbin grumbled in argument. “Hyunjin means well.”

Minho snorted and shook his head. “Hyunjin always means well, I guess,” he said with a shrug; he took a large gulp from his beer can, and then fixed a stare on him. “That aside, what I’m really hearing here is— you’re not really over Seungmin.” 

Changbin pursed his lips, poured himself two more shots of soju which he downed, one after another, without answering Minho’s question.

“It’s not like we haven’t noticed, you know,” Minho continued when Changbin didn’t say anything. “We just keep quiet and try to give you your space because we thought that if you need us, you’ll come to us. I figured that would be better than forcing comfort—” Minho chuckled. “But I guess that’s an area where Hyunjin and I differ.”

Changbin shrugged; he appreciated Hyunjin’s constant attempts at cheering him up of course, but it would be a lie to say that he didn’t prefer Minho’s tactics.

“It is what it is,” he said simply.

“I’m only going to say this because we’ve both had a bit to drink,” Minho started; his tone was sharp but he was speaking slowly and carefully, a sign that he’d already had an ample amount of alcohol in his system. “But look, Changbin, if you miss Seungmin so much, then fucking do something about it. I don’t know what you’re waiting for, but he misses you too, asshole—”

Changbin was waiting for Seungmin to make the first move – secretly hoping for his ex-boyfriend to somehow make it known that he still wanted Changbin back. But he knew Seungmin better than that, and he knew thatbwas wishful thinking on his part, so he wasn’t going to admit any of that to Minho, of all people. Still,

“He said that?” He asked, perking up maybe a little too much at the idea of Seungmin missing him just as much as he’d been missing Seungmin.

Minho laughed. “He doesn’t fucking have to— just like  _ you  _ don’t fucking have to. You’re two miserable dicks, which can be easily fixed if you just actually do  _ something _ about it.”

“Fuck, do you know?” Changbin had snapped. “You can’t even fix your own shit with Jisung.”

Minho’s glare had been stern, and if looks could kill, Changbin would have probably met a close call right then.

“That’s a low blow,” Minho had snarled, his voice low and his metaphorical guards up.

“Yeah, well, maybe it’s best if we both refrained from having too many opinions on each other’s love lives, huh?”

“Fair enough,” Minho grumbled.

They proceeded the rest of their alcohol stash, got shit-faced for the night, and that was that.

Even then Changbin knew that Minho’s words had some merit to them, but he didn’t listen – after all, what did Minho, of all people, know? He was a secret sad sack who’d been pining for years over a guy who was clearly just as in love with him, but actively refused to do anything about it. At least Changbin and Seungmin had made their attempt, and sure they’d crashed and burned, but at least  _ an attempt was made. _

That’s what he used to tell himself anyway, but he supposes that he doesn’t really have that excuse anymore.

  
  
  
  


**10:13 PM**

“I’m tired,” Seungmin tells him, leaning against his side.

They’re seated together on the sand, quietly leaning against each other as they watched, from a distance, as the water calmly laps against the shore.

_ “Now, _ do you want to tell me what’s really been running through your mind?” Changbin asks, fingers tracing the lines of Seungmin’s palm as he holds the latter’s hand close.

It’s been obvious throughout the evening, especially after Minho and Jisung had shared their news, that Seungmin was distracted by his own thoughts. He’s always been a multi-tasker, so he easily laughed and joined in the dinner conversation. Every now he’d even genuinely surface, letting Changbin feel his complete presence of mind, except to someone like Changbin who wants to assume that he knows his boyfriend best, it was easy to tell that Seungmin wasn’t fully there with them. 

At first it had frustrated and annoyed him because he assumed that his boyfriend’s mind was stuck at the office, lost in a sea of work thoughts and responsibilities. But as the evening progressed, he realised that he can also tell through Seungmin’s body language – through the way he kept mindlessly reaching for Changbin, and through minor conversational slip-ups that allowed him hints as to what was really on Seungmin’s mind – that it was less about work, and more about wanting to be anchored.

Actually, scratch that – as the evening progressed, he realised that it hasn’t just been that night. Seungmin has been stuck in this state of halfway reaching out for Changbin for a couple of months already. It was just that Changbin was too busy telling himself to be patient, and consciously giving Seungmin his space that he’d failed to notice.

This sudden cognizance scares him.

“Too many things,” Seungmin answers him after a beat.

“You don’t want to tell me?” Changbin asks, a frown lining his lips after he gives the back of Seungmin’s hand a kiss. “Any of them?”

He’s unsure how to proceed; where they are now feels a little too familiar and that makes him feel self-conscious. He doesn’t want to repeat his mistakes from four years ago – and that  _ should _ be easy, because they’re supposed to be four years older and wiser, yet here they are. He’d made a promise to Seungmin that he was going to be more patient this time around, except now the problem is that it’s that same patience that’s eating him up. 

“Seungmin,” he says, softly, carefully. “It’s hard when you never say anything.”

In return Seungmin hums, prolonged, frustrated – and then he draws out a quiet exhalation. “I’m sorry. I’m trying— it’s just hard. I’m—”

“You’re—?”

He sighs again. “I think I’m too comfortable,” he admits, his free hand pressing against his thigh as he stretches his legs out in front of him. 

“Shouldn’t that make it easier to tell me things?” Changbin asks, confused.

He gets met with a shake of Seungmin’s head. “I’m too comfortable with you— and by that I mean I’m too used to you always being the one to lead. I’m too used to you always pushing things forward— to you always drawing me out, and I never know how to make the first move. I don’t know how to open up first.”

Changbin frowns. “It can’t always be me doing that, you know.”

“Of course I know!” Seungmin hisses with obvious frustration. He pauses and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath, obviously pulling himself together. He looks away, and starts drawing on the sand with his fingers. “Of course I know,” he repeats, calmer this time. “That’s why I’m trying— I don’t want a repeat of four years ago.”

_ So, _ Changbin thinks. He’s realised that too.

“It’s just that—” Seungmin winces, as if afraid of what he wants to say.

“Just that…?”

Seungmin curls up, and Changbin starts to count in his head, trying to give his boyfriend time to collect his thoughts.

“Sometimes I feel like if I tell you, then you’re going to want to fix things, you know?”

He looks at Seungmin, brow furrowed – he doesn’t know what the other is trying to say. “Shouldn’t I want to fix things?”

“No— I mean. You shouldn’t want to fix things by yourself— you shouldn’t feel responsible about my own feelings.”

“Seungmin, that doesn’t make sense.”

The other man groans and starts to take his hand away, but Changbin just tightens his grip. “Sometimes I have thoughts and feelings that I can’t help, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to do something about them, because they’re  _ my _ silly, petty feelings.”

“We’re in a relationship, Seungmin— shouldn’t I want to help you feel better?”

“Yeah, but sometimes I just need to let some things out without you needing to fix anything,” Seungmin explains. “Like, you know— when I’m feeling stressed about work. I don’t need you to come up with anything special to ease that stress. Or when I have complaints, you don’t have to help me find the silver lining. Sometimes expressing myself, and you just listening— that’s the fix.” 

He takes in a deep breath. “Okay,” he exhales. “Try me.”

Seungmin closes his eyes, and then mumbles, obviously embarrassed. “Sometimes I really do wish we were more like Minho and Jisung.”

Changbin blinks. The admittance doesn't feel any less surprising the second time around ans it makes him snort. “That’s silly—”

“I don’t appreciate being made to feel ridiculous either, Changbin,” Seungmin sharply interrupts.

“Seungmin,” Changbin calls out, just a tad exasperated. He leans in and kisses his boyfriend’s shoulder. “It’s silly, but the thing is— I’m silly, too. Plus I already kinda got the vibe that you were feeling that from our conversation earlier.” 

Seungmin groans. “Seriously. When did those two assholes get their act together? And we’re—”

“We’re…?”

“And it feels like we’ve just cycled back to four years ago,” Seungmin spits out, bitterness evident in his tone.

“Do you really think that?”

Seungmin shrugs. “Maybe. A little.”

“And this is something you don’t think I should fix?”

“Well, that was more with regards to my comment about Minho and Jisung,” Seungmin mumbles in admittance. “But I know I’m the one who needs to be better at juggling my career and my personal responsibilities.” He chuckles softly. “You know when you asked earlier about how my first impression compares to how you really are? The answer is it doesn’t— because the truth is you’r e a far better man than I ever thought you were ten years ago. You’re perfect, Changbin.”

He grunts. “Of course I’m not. Didn’t you just say I try to fix things that I shouldn’t? Pretty sure that’s a failing of mine,” he argues.

Seungmin laughs. “I think it’s a strength of character that you  _ try. _ I just— get annoyed when people are all up my business, you know that.” 

“Well, I’m always late to things. Isn’t that a prime character flaw? Also, I’ve been told that I whine over the smallest things, and I’ve been told by mostly you,” Changbin points out. “And finally— I’m pretty sure being as good looking as I am is a Very Big Flaw—”

He strokes his chin, and Seungmin cracks up and hits his arm with a closed fist.

“Shut up,” Seungmin orders, even though he’s obviously reigning laughter in. “You were at dinner earlier before I was, I don’t think I can complain about your tardiness anymore. And even though you complain about the littlest things, you never do when it comes to the big, important things. But okay,” he wrinkles his nose, “that last one is a complete Pass.”

Changbin cackles and nudges his side; he inhales deeply, and when he opens his mouth to speak again, his voice is lower, steadier. “Seungmin, listen to me— if you want me to just listen and not fix your problems, that’s fine. I’ll do that. But when it comes to how you feel about me— about our relationship, I can’t just sit back and stay quiet. Those are things that the two of us should fix, you know? Together.” 

Seungmin is quiet for a few seconds, and Changbin has to nudge him, nervous about having tried too hard again when Seungmin literally just told him that sometimes he just needs to  _ listen. _

“Okay,” Seungmin eventually whispers. “You’re right.”

A relieved smile curves across Changbin’s lips. “Of course I’m right— you did just say I’m perfect. That includes always being right, you know?”

He’s teasing, eager to break the tension, and it works as Seungmin lightly hits his arm again. 

“I love you,” Seungmin murmurs, and Changbin smiles, leaning up so he can sweetly brush his lips against the former’s.

“I love you too,” he returns. “Now tell me more about what else is in your mind, please?”

Seungmin sighs, but he nods. “Does it—” His breath hitches, and Changbin reaches over to squeeze his knee, assuring him that it’s okay – that he will listen to what he has to say. “Does it ever feel like— um. Okay, let me rephrase this. Changbin, sometimes I feel like I neglect you, and it’s stupid because even though it feels like I do that, I keep doing it anyway.”

Changbin blinks; it would be a lie to say that he never felt that way, but it didn’t feel right to demand too much from Seungmin either. Still, it stings to hear about Seungmin’s awareness and lack of resolution about it.

“I know this is what happened before—”

“Seungmin—” He tries to interject; it  _ was _ a part of what happened before, but that didn’t mean Changbin had to end things so unceremoniously. 

“No, wait, listen to me Changbin. The last two years have been really great,” Seungmin continues, and his tone scares Changbin. Was Seungmin breaking up with  _ him _ this time? “Wait—” The other male chuckles softly, and pauses so he can give Changbin a quick peck – he supposes panic was evident in his expression, and the sweet gesture calms him down. “I’m just— I’m sorry that you’re dating a workaholic.”

“I always knew what your priorities were, Seungmin,” Changbin softly assures him.

“That’s just it, Changbin. You’re my priority, but I don’t know what to do to make my actions reflect that.”

Changbin’s eyes widen because Seungmin’s words genuinely surprise him, and he isn’t sure what that says about their relationship that he’s been operating all this time with the assumption that work comes first for his boyfriend. It feels nice to hear from Seungmin that he’s mistaken, at least, and it warms something inside him. 

“I’m never going to ask you to put your work aside, Seungmin. I’m proud of you because you like what you do, and you’re  _ great _ at what you do. But—” He purses his lips, and shakes his head. “Do I want to spend more time with you? Of course, I do. We just have to figure out a way to help you keep things more balanced.”

Seungmin is nodding slowly, and Changbin can tell that he’s carefully forming a response in his head.

“Let’s move in together,” is what Seungmin ends up saying, and once again Changbin is surprised.

“What—?”

“You don’t want to?” Seungmin asks, looking stricken and mostly ready to take his words back.

“I do!” He immediately replies before Seungmin can think otherwise. “I’ve wanted to for a year now.”

“Why didn’t you ask, then?”

“You seemed pretty attached to your flat,” Changbin mumbles, which seemed like such a silly reason now. He could have looked for a nice apartment closer to the business district if he really wanted to, and he’s now figuring out that maybe that damn flat represented Seungmin putting his career over him, and he was being subconsciously petty about it.

Seungmin sighs. “I want to fall asleep next to you every night, Changbin— and to wake up every morning and have the first thing I see be your stupid face. I want to have at least that, even on the days that I spend 10 to 13 hours at work, you know?”

“Okay,” Changbin answers, the happiness he’s feeling spreading throughout his entire system, rendering him unable to keep himself from grinning. “Let’s figure this out, then.”

“Besides,” Seungmin huffs. “Minho and Jisung are  _ engaged _ and what would it say about us if we can’t even get our shit together enough to move in together?!”

Changbin snorts. “Wow our big relationship milestones have really been spurred on by Minho and Jisung since Day One, huh?”

“I guess we gotta be thankful to them for  _ some _ things,” Seungmin comments grudgingly.

“I really love you, Seungmin, pettiness and all.”

“I really love you too, Changbin,” Seungmin tells him, smiling. “Thank you for putting up with me.”

“Pleasure’s all mine.”

  
  
  
  


**‹‹**

“Hello—?” Even through the phone line, Changbin had easily detected the grogginess in Minho’s tone.

“Have you been sleeping all morning?” He snapped. He’s tired from more than five hours of non-stop driving, and even though he’s relieved himself now, that had also meant he’d had to hold his bladder for roughly the same amount of time, and it had put him in a pretty sour mood.

“Good morning Changbin,” Minho returned, his tone adopting a suspicious kind of cheer after he realised who it was calling. “How’s the trip so far?”

“Miserable,” he shot back.

“Yeah? I would have thought you’d be feeling more excited about it— you do get Seungmin to yourself for a few days, you know.”

_ “He’s _ the miserable one,” Changbin said; he was standing outside the male’s bathroom at the gas station where they’d stopped over to get a refill. From afar, he could see Seungmin settling their bill, and he knew he should have probably headed back over to his ex-boyfriend’s company after he was done with his pee break, but he needed to make a quick call first.

“Fix that, then,” Minho said simply.

“Is Jisung actually sick?” He asked, because he needed to know if this impromptu alone time with Seungmin was the universe’s design, or their friends’ ridiculous plan.

There was shuffling on the other end of the line, and he heard Minho faintly tell someone – Jisung, presumably – that he was talking to Changbin.

“He had a fever last night,” Minho eventually answered after a couple of seconds.

“And this morning?”

There was silence for what felt like minutes, but in reality was just a couple more seconds.

“Maybe it already broke.”

“Fuck you, Minho,” Changbin growled. “And fuck your boyfriend, too.”

“You’re welcome, Changbin,” Minho told him, unfazed by the barrage of cuss words. “It’s your chance to make things right— so make the best of it.”

“Good luck, Bin!” He heard Jisung cry out faintly in the background.

He ended the call without another word.

  
  
  
  


**07:51 AM**

“What the fuck— what time is it? Why are the two of you here?!”

Jisung stares at the two of them, obviously (and unsurprisingly) confused by their presence in his kitchen.

“Eight—? Is it eight yet?” Seungmin absentmindedly clarifies, glancing at Changbin while he placed a sesame bagel in Minho and Jisung’s bagel cutter, one that he’d retrieved from the couple’s cupboards a few minutes ago like it was the most natural thing for him to do.

The two of them had spent hours on the beach, huddled close and talking each other’s ears off about anything and everything, until both of them could barely keep their eyes open from sleepiness. Lucky for them, they had friends who lived nearby in their fancy waterfront property, and even luckier for them, they knew exactly where those friends kept their spare key.

They ended up crashing on Minho and Jisung’s couch without the couple even realising it, and as thanks, they’d woken up after a couple hours and headed out to get breakfast for everyone.

“Seven fifty-one, to be more accurate,” Changbin answers, gesturing at the tray of coffee orders that sat atop the kitchen island. “Good morning!”

“I repeat: what the fuck?” Jisung keeps gawking at them, rubbing his eyes with both hands as he stood in the kitchen doorway, still wearing his pajamas.

“Have some coffee and bagels,” Changbin reiterates, lifting the cup marked as Jisung’s usual order and holding it out towards his friend.

“It’s so fucking early,” Jisung spits out, even though he does quickly pad over to take the drink from him. “Seungmin’s been rubbing off on you on the early bird thing, huh? First it was last night’s punctuality and now…” He never finishes his sentence, choosing instead to take a sip from his drink. “Fuck,” he hisses right after. “That’s still hot!”

“You’re making a bold assumption that we’ve slept,” he comments, reaching over for the bagels that Seungmin has halved and placing them in the toaster.

“The two of you are way too at home here,” Jisung grumbles sleepily, shaking his head. 

“You’re welcome for the breakfast,” Seungmin simply shoots back.

Jisung stares at them, sharp and cold, and then he lets out an annoyed groan. “MINHO!” And then he’s yelling, using a tone that’s a little too shrill for Changbin’s liking, especially at this time of day. “BABE! MINHO!” Jisung continues. “COME DOWN HERE!!”

Seungmin and Changbin exchange a look, both of them holding back laughter when they hear the faint noise of shuffling footsteps coming from upstairs; there’s loud clomping down the stairs and then there Minho is, standing in the doorway, hair comically sticking up in all places, his eyes half-open.

“The fuck, Ji—” He blinks and stares just as Jisung had done not even ten minutes before when he notices that Seungmin and Changbin are in his house. “What the fuck— what time is it? Why are the two of you here?!”

It’s hard not to burst into laughter at that, not when Minho basically just does a word-for-word replay of Jisung’s earlier reaction.

“At least they got breakfast, babe,” Jisung mumbles, absentmindedly rubbing Minho’s back with one hand, while his other one held his coffee, still.

“We have news of our own,” Seungmin shares, choosing to ignore Minho’s glare as he goes and cuts a couple more bagels, which in turn Changbin places in the toaster for him.

“We decided we’re moving in together,” Changbin continues for him, grinning widely.

“You’re here at the crack of dawn to tell us that?” Minho snarls, flipping him off as he stomps directly towards the kitchen counter so he can grab himself the last remaining coffee from the tray. “You got it the way I like it?”

“Yes,” Changbin nods casually. “Black, just like your soul.”

“Fuck off,” he grumbles, but he  _ does _ visibly liven up a little after he catches a whiff of caffeine. “But—” He sniffs and takes a sip of his drink as he leans against the kitchen counter. “Congratulations,” he tells them, his gaze travelling from Changbin, to Seungmin, and then back again. “The owners of the house next door are leasing the place, just so you know—”

“Oh, yeah!” Jisung nods; he’s a little too chipper now that he has coffee in his system, and Changbin has no idea how he livens up so easily like that. “We can be neighbors!”

“Hell, no!” Seungmin immediately responds.

And as they start an argument, Jisung enumerating a list of reasons why it would be nice to have everyone living close together with Seungmin shooting each one down while Minho completely ignores them in his dazed, still half-asleep state, Changbin can’t help but smile and chuckle.

He’s happy, he thinks, and his friends are happy.

Life couldn’t be better.

  
  
  
  


_ fin. _

**Author's Note:**

> [ 5 ] sorry there was probably a lot more minsung than there should be, lmao. my bias showed and… actually u know what, im not sry at all, haha.
> 
> [ 6 ] i have also never been to the us (or sf, which iirc i explicitly mentioned as the city they live in back in ktcr), so i had to rely a lot on google maps when referencing. (this is also why i tried to keep them vague at best, sob.) sorry if there are any unrealistic details.
> 
> [ 7 ] feedback is much appreciated! also: [twitter](http://twitter.com/hanmings) / [curiouscat](http://curiouscat.me/yiminho).
> 
> [ 8 ] i hope u enjoyed this as much as the original!


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